Of Pigs and Men

  • TIME should understand the damage that is done through generalization, especially on the cover [May 30]. We seem to understand this idea when it relates to minority groups but not when it relates to men. Let me suggest that your cover line should have read "Sex. Lies. Arrogance. What Makes Some Powerful Men Act Like Pigs" (or even better, "... Some Pigs").
    John Desmond, ANDOVER, MASS., U.S.

    Nancy Gibbs refers to fame and power as eroding "the layers of socialization that we impose on teenage boys." We "impose" nothing of the kind. We raise boys today in a culture of entitlement, self-indulgence and celebrity worship. The sins of the famous and powerful are only high-profile expressions of our failure in these postmodern times to instill in young men a genuine sense of responsibility, discipline and judgment.
    Ken Ganza, INDIANAPOLIS

    At the height of his career, Henry Kissinger once said, "Power is the greatest aphrodisiac." It is something I have remembered for many years.
    Ronald Coppin, DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA

    Why do powerful men act like pigs? They do because they can, because the people around them allow it. Period.
    Laurie Pfisterer, DELANCO, N.J., U.S.

    The cover story neglects to consider that human nature includes a willingness to self-destruct on the eve of attainment. Those who secretly believe themselves unworthy of greatness will discover another path on which to blame failure.
    Steve Lenkart, ALEXANDRIA, VA., U.S.

    Gibbs is a great writer, but why is a woman writing an article on what powerful men think? Men know more about how men think than women do.
    Walker Mangum, RALEIGH, N.C., U.S.

    Disguised as journalism, the piece is no more than a vitriolic attack on Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who, even in the U.S., must be held innocent until proved otherwise. And what bearing does Arnold Schwarzenegger's out-of-wedlock child have on the former California governor's public functions? Why is the private life of a politician so puritanically important?
    Miguel Tonnies, LISBON

    You have, of course, insulted pigs.
    John W. Howe, ORLANDO

    Skirting the Issue
    Following the cover story on sex and power is a report on a woman in a trailblazing aeronautical-engineering position [How to Build a Job Engine, May 30]. She is described as a "talkative, attractive 20-something dressed in a just-long-enough navy blue skirt and matching jacket." Would you introduce a male engineer that way?
    Keith Appleyard, WEST WICKHAM, ENGLAND

    Asia's Scourge
    I congratulate TIME on its excellent portrayal of the significant — and growing — drug-control threat in East and Southeast Asia [Drugged Out, May 30]. The problem has two main dimensions: the resurgence in opium cultivation and resulting heroin trafficking; and the significant increase in the production, trafficking and consumption of amphetamine-type stimulants. For far too long, the international community has taken its eye off the drug-control ball in the region. In this fluid, globalizing world of ours, the only really effective responses are: drop the "war on drugs" rhetoric, approach the problem from the public-health perspective and attack the organized-crime networks that transport and distribute large volumes of hard drugs. TIME's story will make the U.N.'s advocacy work easier, and help us accelerate the international community's response. Thank you for educating the public.
    Gary Lewis, Regional Representative, U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, BANGKOK

    The Golden Triangle remains a rich source of opium, no thanks to the lackluster and lethargic effort of eradication. In Thailand, the consumption of methamphetamine has kept increasing, much to the chagrin of the government and the antinarcotics bureau. But how much can they do, especially when there are people practically openly allowed to cultivate the deadly crop?
    Titan Monn, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND

    Debating Death
    Stephen Hawking is entitled to his opinion about the existence or not of an afterlife [Verbatim, May 30]. But he is no more able to prove his view scientifically than the Christian, like myself, who fervently believes through faith in an afterlife. This will only be proved one way or another at the end of our mortal lives. See you then, Stephen.
    Harry Burnside, GLASGOW

    I cry for Hawking and his computer brain. Bring together 10,000 of the world's most sophisticated computers and see if there will be love, hate, joy, awe, compassion and, above all, hope.
    Willem Visagie, PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA